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What Are the Best Natural Treatments for Cracked and Dry Feet?

Meshell Powell
Meshell Powell

Dry, cracked feet are a common problem for many people. While there are several over the counter treatment options in most drug stores, a lot of people prefer to use natural treatments for cracked and dry feet. This may be because many of these natural treatments involve products which are generally found in most homes. Some of the most commonly used natural treatments for this problem include vegetable oil, bananas, milk, and baking soda. It may be helpful in cases where there is a thick layer of dead skin on the feet to gently file off some of this excess skin before beginning treatment.

Hydrogenated vegetable oil is one of the most popular natural treatments for cracked and dry feet. If this vegetable oil is not readily available, shortening will work just as well. The feet should be completely coated with the oil or shortening, preferably just before bed since this treatment method can make walking a bit slippery and difficult. A pair of thick socks should be worn over the oil-covered feet. It is particularly helpful if the socks are made from a natural, breathable material such as cotton.

A person having a foot bath.
A person having a foot bath.

Another good treatment for dry, cracked feet is bananas. The bananas are mashed up and then applied to the feet for about 10 minutes before rinsing them off. This method of treatment may also serve as preventative therapy for those who are prone to having dry skin problems which affect the feet. Added benefits may be obtained by adding avocado or coconut to the mashed up bananas before applying the paste to the feet.

Add avocado to mashed up bananas for a moisturizing foot paste.
Add avocado to mashed up bananas for a moisturizing foot paste.

Milk has been used for centuries to promote healthy skin. For this reason, it is no surprise that adding milk to a foot bath is among the most highly-rated natural treatments for cracked and dry feet. Preparing this foot bath involves adding one cup of milk to a basin of warm water. The feet are then soaked in this basin for 15 to 20 minutes at a time in order to soothe and soften the skin.

Wearing open-backed shoes may cause dry, cracked feet.
Wearing open-backed shoes may cause dry, cracked feet.

Baking soda is another household ingredient which ranks high in the preferred list of natural treatments for cracked and dry feet. The baking soda is liberally sprinkled into a warm foot bath and helps to promote healthy skin. Alternatively, the baking soda may be added to the bath water.

Discussion Comments

Fa5t3r

@browncoat - I think you could probably use paraffin wax in the same way, although it might not be as effective. I've hear some people use it to soften the skin on their hands and feet anyway.

I think it's best to try and prevent dry skin in the first place, by using pumice on the feet and then using a home made moisturizer on them every night. If your skin is dry it will eventually crack, so it's better to prevent it than to cure it.

browncoat

This isn't precisely a "natural" treatment but it is the best home remedy for dry cracked feet that I know. My mother gets painful cracks all the time and I get them occasionally as well. They can take forever to heal and make walking pretty difficult while they last.

But, if you use some petroleum jelly on them (for example, Vaseline) they will basically go away almost overnight. Honestly, I don't know how it works, because it doesn't seem intuitive to me, but they never stick around for more than a couple of days if you slather a bit of the jelly over the cracks.

It works particularly well if you apply it and then cover them with old socks and leave it overnight. It's a bit messy, but it works.

irontoenail

Instead of using vegetable oil on your dry feet, your skin may benefit from using coconut oil instead. It's a very rich oil (and it smells much nicer) and it's apparently been used as a skin conditioner for years.

I don't know if it's ever been considered for feet specifically, but it wouldn't surprise me if it had.

It's a little bit more expensive than shortening, but frankly I think it's probably a lot more pure and less likely to have additional ingredients.

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    • A person having a foot bath.
      By: Jan Andersen
      A person having a foot bath.
    • Add avocado to mashed up bananas for a moisturizing foot paste.
      By: gdvcom
      Add avocado to mashed up bananas for a moisturizing foot paste.
    • Wearing open-backed shoes may cause dry, cracked feet.
      By: Yuriy Chertok
      Wearing open-backed shoes may cause dry, cracked feet.
    • Walking barefoot may cause dry feet.
      By: Emmanuelle Guillou
      Walking barefoot may cause dry feet.
    • Baking soda can be used to help soften dry, cracked feet.
      By: mady70
      Baking soda can be used to help soften dry, cracked feet.
    • Thick socks may be worn after an oil treatment.
      By: Bert Folsom
      Thick socks may be worn after an oil treatment.